5, Should Tess tell him the truth, and if so, should Tess tell him before or after the wedding?

This is a tough spot for Tess because Angel holds all the cards. Angel is the one with the money and title (compared to Tess) . I suppose telling Angel before the wedding might have spared Tess some humiliation. Angel liked Tess for her mystery, looks and melancholy. Apparently this turned him on. Her qualities, however, were dependent on her being a virgin. This male view of women needing to be “pure" and unused prior to marriage was common. There is the sense that Angel owned Tess after the marriage and finding out his "purchase" was used made him even more angry. For Tess, however, the outcome would have been similar regardless of when the truth came out.